It was something they never expected to see: the largest mammal in the world swimming off the coast of New Jersey.
Last weekend, about 50 passengers and crew aboard the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center vessel American Star got a view of a blue whale.
Such a sighting off the coast of New Jersey is rare, according to marine experts.
“The blue whale was a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife opportunity for everyone on board. We have a team of marine mammal and pelagic bird experts with many years of experience logging hundreds of pelagic trips that have never seen a blue whale in the Atlantic before this trip,” said Melissa Laurino, research director for the center.
Andrea Gomez, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said also confirmed the sighting was a blue whale.
According to NOAA, the blue whale was most likely from the Western Northern Atlantic Stock, which ranges from the Artic to at least the mid-latitude waters. Little is known about the population size of this stock but 402 of them were documented by photographs between 1980 and 2008 .